North America

Three Democratic U.S. Senators asked the Transportation Department on Thursday if the head?of the Federal?Aviation Administation has sold his shares of Republic Airways, and if he would be forced to forfeit any gains if he did not sell the stake by the required divestment deadline. Bryan Bedford, FAA Administrator at the time, said in December that he hadn't divested his shares but would continue to remain a recusant on issues that might impact the airline’s finances while he worked to sell his holdings. Senator Maria Cantwell said Bedford, who was previously CEO of Republic Airlines, violated his ethics agreement because...

'Airbus's main aircraft?production goal hangs in balance, as the planemaker is still without a deal with engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. Industry sources confirmed this. They are stuck in a dispute about the allocation of engines to Airbus production lines versus?maintenance shops that service airlines. And they have not yet reached a vital engine supply agreement for 2026 and 2027. Airbus stated last month that engines from RTX owned Pratt & Whitney were "very,'very late". It had not yet reached an agreement with Pratt & Whitney for this year or next. Rick Deurloo said at the Singapore Airshow on Wednesday...

Spirit 'Aviation has filed a court document asking the 'U.S. Bankruptcy Court' for the Southern District of New York for approval to transfer two O'Hare Airport gates to United Airlines at a cost of $30.2 million. Spirit filed for bankruptcy in August 2025 - a second attempt - as it struggled to deal with mounting losses and dwindling reserves. In an effort to shed its non-core assets, the company has already left 14 airports. It also'rejected leases on over 80 aircraft. Spirit Airlines, as part of its network optimization program,?determined that it did not need all four preferential airport gates...

Spirit Aviation has filed a court document requesting court approval to transfer two airport gate?to United Airlines. The cost is $30.2 million. Spirit Aviation determined that it did not need all four of the preferential gates at Chicago O'Hare International Airport as part of its network optimization. In December, the airline had reassigned 2 of these gates to American Airlines. Spirit filed for bankruptcy a second-time in August 2025 as it struggled with dwindling reserves and mounting losses. In an effort to reduce non-core assets, the company has already left 14 airports. It also rejected leases on over 80 aircraft....

The Vietnamese budget airline Vietjet entered into a 'contract with Pratt & Whitney (a subsidiary of RTX) to?supply GTF engine for 44 Airbus planes, bringing its total GTF powered fleet orders to 137. The deal was announced at the Singapore Airshow and includes 24 A321neo planes and 20 'A321XLR aircraft. Deliveries will begin in July. In a joint press release, the companies said that it also included a 12-year maintenance agreement. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Vietjet has deployed its first A321neo aircraft in 2018. It currently operates 42 GTF-powered aircraft, and plans to equip the...

Boeing will begin to deliver improved 787-10 Dreamliners and 787-9 Dreamliners to airlines in the first half this year. This will enable longer flights or more cargo capacity, according to a senior executive on Wednesday. Boeing's Vice President of Commercial Marketing, Darren Hulst said that improvements to the maximum takeoff mass will allow airlines to fly 400 miles (643 kilometers) further or carry five to six additional tons of cargo. He told reporters on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow that the aircraft were already in production and moving towards certification. We expect deliveries to begin 'the first half of...

Transport Canada announced on Tuesday that it is working with the Federal Aviation Administration to resolve?delays? in approving Gulfstream aircraft, after U.S. president Donald Trump threatened decertification and tariffs?on?Canadian made aircraft. Trump announced last week that he would decertify Bombardier Global jets, and threaten 50% import tariffs for all aircraft manufactured in Canada. This was until Canada's regulator approved a number jets made by U.S. competitor Gulfstream. The U.S. FAA will not strip Canadian planes from their regulatory approval. However, it remains to be seen whether Trump would actually follow through on his latest tariff threats. Trump's U.S. led trade...

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on February 12 with the head of the National Transportation Safety Board. This is after the agency discovered that a series?of systemic failures by Federal Aviation Administration caused a devastating mid-air collision last year, which killed 67 people. The collision of an American Airlines regional plane and an Army Black Hawk near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in January 2025 was the most deadly U.S. aviation accident since November 2001. The panel will be hearing testimony from NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy, as lawmakers try to gain approval for a stalled air...

India's aviation regulator announced on Tuesday that the fuel switches on a grounded Air India Dreamliner were satisfactory after a pilot had reported a possible problem with the mechanism. Fuel switches were the cause of an Air India Dreamliner crash last year, which killed 260 people and led to a tighter examination of the airline. Switches regulate the flow of jet fuel to a plane's engine. Air India announced on Monday that it had grounded the Boeing Dreamliner after a pilot reported an alleged defect in the fuel control switch. The plane was scheduled to fly between London and Bengaluru....

China will ban hidden car door handles starting in 2027. It is the first country that has banned a design pioneered and used by Tesla, as well as Chinese competitors such a Xiaomi. In both China and the United States, there are concerns about safety issues with the hidden handle design. It can be operated by a key fob, mobile phone, or manually. The U.S. Auto Safety Agency opened a defect investigation last year into the emergency door release controls on Tesla's Model?3 sedan. Tesla, who did not respond to the investigation at that time, failed to immediately reply to...

Singapore hosted Asia's largest aviation conference on Tuesday, as the industry aims to achieve ambitious regional growth goals despite widespread supply shortages which have delayed many aircraft delivery. The 10th edition?Singapore Airshow? will feature more than 1,000 companies, including industry giants Airbus and Boeing as well as local champion ST Engineering. There is also a new generation of drone-focused defence firms such Asuril Industries and Shield AI. Singapore announced on Monday that it will launch its own space agency at the accompanying space summit. China and India are driving the Asia-Pacific region's rapid growth in air travel. By 2026, passenger...

Air Cambodia, Cambodia's national carrier, announced on Tuesday that it had placed an?order? for 10 Boeing 737MAX jets, stating that this reflected the deepening of relations between the United States and Cambodia. The deal was announced at the Singapore Airshow, in the presence U.S. officials and Cambodian diplomats. Boeing reported that the deal includes 10 firm orders and an additional 10, with the possibility of further 10. Mao Havannall, Cambodia's Minister of Civil Aviation, said at a press conference that the signing today sends a positive and strong signal about?the deep collaboration between Cambodia and United States. The first report...

The White House announced that President Donald Trump will unveil "TrumpRx.gov" on Thursday night. This website is intended to give consumers discounted access to prescription drugs and to be a key part of his efforts to reduce drug prices in the U.S. Sixteen of the biggest drug manufacturers in the world have joined forces to create a new global alliance. Deals with "most-favorable nation" In exchange for exemptions from U.S. Tariffs,?the Trump Administration will lower drug prices in the United States. These agreements will lower the?prices for Medicaid and cash-paying customers via TrumpRX. Those deals include Agreements with obesity drug...

Available copper inventories The London Metal Exchange has seen its trading volume increase by 11 months, as traders from the U.S.A. and Asia have increasingly turned to the exchange for metal storage. After more than 20,000 tonnes of copper were delivered to New Orleans and Baltimore over the last three weeks as well as similar inflows into South Korea and Taiwan, the amount of copper available in LME warehouses reached 160,625 tons on Wednesday. This is the highest since late February of last year. Copper was shipped in large volumes to the United States before possible import tariffs. Higher?prices at...

The companies announced on Wednesday that Union Pacific, a railroad operator, and Wabtec - a locomotive parts manufacturer - had signed a $1.2 billion agreement to modernize the AC4400 locomotives of the railway. The companies describe the agreement as "the largest locomotive investment in rail history." It is expected to begin deliveries by 2027. U.S. rail fleet replacement has been accelerated under the Biden administration, with infrastructure investments. Operators are replacing aging locomotives by more fuel-efficient and digitally enabled models. According to the companies, the fleet upgrade will reduce fuel consumption by more than 5% and increase locomotives' tractive efforts...

Penny, the 4-year-old Doberman Pinscher, was named Best in Show on Tuesday at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, earning the United States' most prestigious dog competition?prize?. Penny made a magnificent stance during the final round of the judging when the finalists from seven groups competed in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The working group champion beat over 3,000 dogs representing all 50 states as well as 17 different countries who competed at the 150th anniversary event. Each group's winner will advance to the finals. Andy Linton handled Penny, the Doberman that won Best in Show in 1989, when...

Old Dominion Freight Line announced a decline in profit and revenue for the fourth quarter on Wednesday. It was 'hurt' by lower volumes, as it navigates through a 'challenging environment. After the e-commerce boom of 2022, the U.S. trucking industry remains in a prolonged slowdown. U.S. carriers continue to be affected by low shipment volumes, excess capacities and weak domestic production. According to the Institute for Supply Management, U.S. Manufacturing PMI, which is a gauge for economic activity, recorded its tenth consecutive month of contraction when it reached?47.9 in December. The readings below 50 indicate shrinking activity. CEO Marty Freeman...

Analysts said that the near 9% decline in copper prices over the past two days is a return to "reality" for a market, whose recent surge of record highs was 'ahead of?the fundamentals. More losses are likely. They say that weak demand, increasing stockpiles and the possibility of increased supplies made it clear that copper's record-breaking rally last Thursday to $14,527.50 per metric ton was not sustainable. Alice Fox, Macquarie's analyst, said that prices had risen far beyond the fundamentals. "Investors were rushing into the market and pushing up prices", she added. "We believe the market was in a global...

Futures tied to Canada's major stock index rose Thursday as precious metals continued their rally,?oil climbed on geopolitical worries, and investors assessed the Big?Tech reports from the U.S. As of 6:05 a.m., March futures based on Toronto's TSX Composite Index (S&P/TSX) were up 0.3%. ET. Gold spot gained 1.4% and briefly hovered near $5,600 an ounce. This was due to the demand for safe havens amid continued geopolitical unrest and concern over the autonomy of the U.S. Federal Reserve. The U.S. Dollar's decline?slowed on Thursday but it remained near multi-year lows. Silver prices remained stable, but copper and other metals...

Norfolk Southern announced a higher profit for the fourth quarter on Thursday due to cost control. This was despite uneven freight demand, and a persistent macroeconomic stress. The results come after the U.S. Surface?Transportation?Board earlier this month returned Union Pacific's $85 billion merger proposal with the company to be revised. Surface Transportation Board has deemed Union Pacific's December merger application incomplete. However, Jim Vena, the CEO of Union Pacific, said that the request was routine and the deal is still on schedule to close in the first half of 2027. Norfolk stated in October that it anticipated future top-line fluctuations...

C.H. Robinson's fourth-quarter profit was above Wall Street expectations on Wednesday as cost control helped the global freight forwarder to mitigate the impact of a weak demand in a challenging international trade environment. In aftermarket trading, shares of?the company? rose 6.3%. The largest U.S. Freight Broker reported a 5% drop in operating costs for the quarter. Personnel expenses, other selling, administrative and general costs all fell by about?5%. The average number of employees fell by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. C.H. Robinson has increasingly used artificial intelligence to streamline operations and reduce manual processes. This shift is occurring as the...

The futures for Canada's main index of stocks rose on Wednesday, as gold prices reached a new high. Investors awaited the interest rate decisions that would be made by the U.S. Federal Reserve later in the day. As of 5:41 a.m., March futures for Toronto's S&P/TSX composite index were up 0.16%. ET. Spot gold rose 1.6% and briefly surpassed $5,300 an ounce as the U.S. Dollar sank to four-year lows before stabilizing after President Donald Trump dismissed January's decline. At its next policy meeting, the Fed is expected to?keep rates unchanged. However, the decision will likely be overshadowed due to...

Gatik announced on Tuesday that it had secured $600,000,000?in contract revenue and has deployed 'fully driverless trucks' for commercial operations. This highlights the ambitions of the autonomous trucking company to gain a foothold in the market. The heavy regulatory scrutiny surrounding safety has made the commercialization of autonomous vehicles a challenge. However, advances in artificial intelligent have helped many firms improve their technology. Gautam Nang, CEO and founder of Gatik, said: "Today we operate fully driverless trucks across multiple logistic networks and markets. We serve the largest retailers and CPG firms in the country." Gatik's trucks operate nearly?24-hours a day....

United Parcel Service, the largest package delivery company in the world, announced on Tuesday that it will close 24 additional facilities and eliminate up to 30,000 positions by 2026. This is due to its ongoing shift towards a'more profitable business. In midday trading, shares of the company rose 4%. The company also announced fourth quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations and forecasted a surprise increase in annual revenue. FedEx shares gained 2.6%. Carol Tome, CEO of the company, said in a conference with analysts that the company plans to reduce Amazon deliveries. "We are now in the last six...